SPORTS

Soaring through the air in the long jump.

Maxwell Hyman lets fly with the discus.

Dee-Ann Foster sets off in the 800 metres

Dee-Ann Foster sets off in the 800 metres

World Athletics Day, celebrated all around the globe, also made its presence felt in the Cayman Islands. The World Athletics Day Track and Field Meet, organised by the Cayman Islands Athletic Association, took place on Saturday 6 May at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex, and drew some of Cayman’s top young athletes. The 59 athletes registered by the registration deadline were presented with an IAAF certificate of participation and a World Athletics Day pin at the conclusion of the meet, with 44 World Athletics Day t-shirts also being given out to the athletes.

A number of athletes were allowed to enter after the deadline, and these athletes should be able to collect their certificate of participation later this week at the CIAA office.

The meet itself was watched by a small gathering of persons, made up primarily of parents and relatives of the young athletes participating. Unfortunately, quite a number of the Carifta Games representatives failed to participate in the meet, as was true for a number of the senior athletes on the local track and field scene.

Nonetheless those who turned out to participate and to watch enjoyed a good morning’s competition and the association wishes to thank all of them for their support.

Impressive performances at the meet came primarily from the 10-13 age group, especially from the girls in the group. Chantelle Morrison, Ashleigh Nalty and Gizelle Wright led the way for the ladies, with Neville Marston and Dean-Paul Wallace performing well for the boys.

Morrison continues to dominate the local female sprinting scene and at just 12 years of age can certainly start laying claim to being the fastest female currently resident on the Islands. Wright continues to improve with each passing meet, while Nalty’s all round athletic talent suggests that she is a fine pentathlete in the making. When the likes of Kristen Dixon and Sheyla Torres are added to this trio the future of female sprinting in the Cayman Islands certainly looks promising.

Marston is clearly the class of the field in the 10-13 age group amongst the boys and on Saturday showed his promising prowess over the sprints by easily dismantling the field that turned up to oppose him.

Dean-Paul Wallace ran what was tactically a dream 400m in the 10-13 400m and shows early promise at this event.